January 11 at HANC: Who Are You Building For? Housing Production and Who Gets to Live in San Francisco

HANC's monthly (except August) general membership meeting is usually held downstairs at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street (between Cole and Shrader) on the second Thursday of the month, beginning at 7 pm.Our meetinngs are open to the public and free to attend.

The Planning Department released its 2016 Housing Inventory December 21, 2017. The annual net gain in housing units--new construction less demolition--was 5,046 housing units, about double the 10-year average annual gain. Of these, over 800 units were “affordable,” an over 50% gain over 2016.

There were over 3,500 units built in buildings of 20 units or more, and 90% condominiums. There are a total of 387,597 housing units now in San Francisco. About 30% are single-family homes, 20% are buildings of two to four units, 10% each for buildings of either 5-9 units, or 10-19 units, and 28% for building of at least 20 units. The Housing Inventory also lists median rents and home prices, and regional housing production.

Of course, neither the Inventory nor any other Planning document addresses who gets to live in San Francisco, and who is forced out. At the January 11th HANC meeting, we are fortunate to have three distinguished experts on San Francisco Housing, and particularly on affordable housing and tenants' Rights.

Dean Preston will report on the Sacramento hearing about the repeal of Costa-Hawkins. Repealing Costa-Hawkins would mean that local governments could institute rent control and vacancy control of rents. Dean will also address the Right to Counsel ballot measure and related topics.

Peter Cohen, Coalition of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO), will also be coming fresh from Sacramento, with the latest on California housing funding mechanisms and anticipated future housing development.

CCHO recently completed a housing needs analysis based on the jobs production data that was released in late 2017. Peter will also speak on the funding for San Francisco as projected from the California Bond and other sources, and the need for a new local permanent source(s) of affordable housing revenue.

Also at this meeting, we will have an opportunity to meet Police Captain Una Bailey who was recently appointed captain of Park Station.